What is Message Relevance

This chapter examines the distractive potential of digital devices and summarizes existing scholarly work in this area. The chapter begins with a background on the overall problem of distractions caused by digital devices and how this problem has changed over time. This is followed by a detailed accounting of the digital distractions research, emphasizing the role of message relevance in this process, as well as discussion of research that has examined the interplay between note-taking and digital distractions. The last major section summarizes scholarly work and additional sources that provide examples of how mobile devices, and technology more broadly, can be used in the classroom to help support student learning.